Baker Street barrier - engagement results

Following comprehensive engagement with residents, businesses and stakeholders, Surrey County Council will now undertake a review to assess the feasibility of alternatives. This is based on the feedback provided during the engagement period, a summary of which is provided below.

The engagement ran from 13 May to 30 June, 2025. Promotion included letters sent to over 500 people living and working nearby, targeted social media through Facebook and NextDoor, messages shared by Elmbridge Borough Council and the Weybridge Society (social media and e-newsletter) and the project team attended an in-person event on 6 June in St James Church Hall. The story was also covered by Get Surrey, on their website.

Responses

1,077 responses were received in total. 1,063 through the online platform (CommonPlace), 3 hard copies of the survey questionnaires, 2 letters and 9 emails were sent to the project team.

The breakdown of those responses, based on respondent’s connection to Weybridge is:

Business owner or employee of local business

• Remove = 39
• Retain = 6
• Other = 1

Parent or Guardian

• Remove = 42
• Retain = 59
• Other = 7

Resident of Baker Street or surrounding area

• Remove = 61
• Retain = 205
• Other = 10

Resident of wider Weybridge area

• Remove = 327
• Retain = 304
• Other = 39

Responding on behalf of a group

• Remove = 8
• Retain = 5
• Other = 0

Other

• Remove = 33
• Retain = 14
• Other = 1

*N.B. some people put themselves in more than one category i.e. parent or guardian AND local resident, therefore they have been counted in multiple categories, but not in the overall totals in the table above.

Open-ended responses

Among those who would prefer to retain the barrier, the main reason given was because it improves pedestrian safely and makes the area nicer (246 mentions). Some also expressed that the area is more pleasant without the traffic (140 mentions), to enjoy the shops and café culture (75 mentions), and that they now spend more time there as a result of the barrier.

Among those who want to remove the barrier, the most common reason is concern for local businesses (159 mentions).

Other topics also mentioned were:

Suggesting alternative traffic calming options, including one-way (59 mentions), chicanes, speed tables, give way points (84 mentions) or moving the barrier (25). Timed restrictions to the road (12 mentions), part-time or full time pedestrianisation (119 mentions), especially for Church Street end of Baker Street.